Plug in Solar Panels.....how do they work?
- Thread starter Dave7
- Start date
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MadMalx
Senior Member
- Location
- Settle, Yorkshire Dales
Electricity flows like water - down the pressure gradient. The inverter (connected between solar panel and the grid) converts the DC solar generation to AC and raises the ‘pressure’ (voltage) slighty above the mains voltage to push the electric back down the wire.
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Right, I can sort of understand that, thanks BUT how does it then get stored ie if you are away for a few days what happens to that electricity your panel has generated?
It was a google article explaining that Aldi and other high street shops are getting permission to sell them.
Will see if there is a link but im sure you can google it.
Right, found this link. Its Ludl not Aldi.
https://www.mylondon.news/news/cost-of-living/plug-solar-panels-how-work-33648134
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Widnes
As far as I understand then the panels generate electricity (which is obvious)
Then if you are using any yourself then you use the electricity on you wires already first anyway
sort of like having a header tank of water
so clearly that save you money
but if you are not using that much at the moment then it will flow out of your house and onto the main grid in your area
so if your neighbour has something switched on then they will use yours
so that save the electric company money because it still goes through your neighbours meter
You don;t get any advantage from that unless your meter is set up to log outgoing - which mine is due to our solar panels but the amount you get a WAY lower than the stuff you bring in
If you have an appropriate box and batteries then it can see the generated electricity and store it if you are not using that much at the moment
and then feed it back out when you need it
BUT that box uses electricity and obviously costs money to get and all that
SO the simple "middle aisle of ALDI" type will only help if you are using electricity yourself at the time
and most people don;t use much around noon on a nice sunny day!!
SO - I am not sure how much use it is to most people - but I am sure it can be
I do know that our "proper" solar panels would be much much less use to us if we did not have them attached to batteries to store the electric we generate when we don;t need any
NOTE - I use used the word "electricity" here in a very wooley way and meaning a very generic and wide manner -
in other words my technical expertise of it is as good as my singing ability - which is rather low
Then if you are using any yourself then you use the electricity on you wires already first anyway
sort of like having a header tank of water
so clearly that save you money
but if you are not using that much at the moment then it will flow out of your house and onto the main grid in your area
so if your neighbour has something switched on then they will use yours
so that save the electric company money because it still goes through your neighbours meter
You don;t get any advantage from that unless your meter is set up to log outgoing - which mine is due to our solar panels but the amount you get a WAY lower than the stuff you bring in
If you have an appropriate box and batteries then it can see the generated electricity and store it if you are not using that much at the moment
and then feed it back out when you need it
BUT that box uses electricity and obviously costs money to get and all that
SO the simple "middle aisle of ALDI" type will only help if you are using electricity yourself at the time
and most people don;t use much around noon on a nice sunny day!!
SO - I am not sure how much use it is to most people - but I am sure it can be
I do know that our "proper" solar panels would be much much less use to us if we did not have them attached to batteries to store the electric we generate when we don;t need any
NOTE - I use used the word "electricity" here in a very wooley way and meaning a very generic and wide manner -
in other words my technical expertise of it is as good as my singing ability - which is rather low
As a slight aside I watched a bit of a prepper-esque channel on Youtube recently where the guy was pushing household battery banks as a defense against energy shortages given the current state of affairs.
Since battery tech is continually getting cheaper / better it seems like a sound idea to effectively have a household UPS (uninterrupted power supply) should things go south; allowing the continued use of low-drain infrastructure such as routers and laptops. Something that's potentially especially precient since traditional landlines (that still worked during power cuts) have been binned in favour of VOIP stuff which definitely won't unless provisions are made.
It would be interesting to know what sort of charge these can hold relative to the typical demand from a property.
If I ever pull my finger out and get a shed sorted at the flat I also like the idea of solar panels on the top and a battery bank inside to allow lighting, use of power tools etc... but again I don't know how feasible this would be in practice and I have to manage my expectations as I've been here a year and still don't have a sofa..
Looks like that's this morning's distractionary rabbithole identified!
Since battery tech is continually getting cheaper / better it seems like a sound idea to effectively have a household UPS (uninterrupted power supply) should things go south; allowing the continued use of low-drain infrastructure such as routers and laptops. Something that's potentially especially precient since traditional landlines (that still worked during power cuts) have been binned in favour of VOIP stuff which definitely won't unless provisions are made.
It would be interesting to know what sort of charge these can hold relative to the typical demand from a property.
If I ever pull my finger out and get a shed sorted at the flat I also like the idea of solar panels on the top and a battery bank inside to allow lighting, use of power tools etc... but again I don't know how feasible this would be in practice and I have to manage my expectations as I've been here a year and still don't have a sofa..
Looks like that's this morning's distractionary rabbithole identified!
